After an accident in which she lost her arm, a girl named Jamie refused to go to school or church for an entire year. Finally the young teen thought she could face her peers. In preparation, her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked that he not call attention to Jamie. The teacher promised, but when he got sick on Sunday and had to call a substitute, he forgot to tell the second teacher.

At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the sub led the class in doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem:

Here’s the church
Here are the people
Open the door
See all the people.

Jamie’s eyes filled with tears. A 13-year-old boy realized how she must be feeling. He knelt beside her. With one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, and people. Together they illustrated what real church is.

 

The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 12, compares the Body of Christ (the church) with the human body. “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ… Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” One of my favorite things about Twin Oaks is the way that you come together, as one body, to meet needs and serve God. To paraphrase a worn-out line from a sappy movie – We complete each other. I’ve seen this in most of the decisions for Christ that have been made in the past month. One person invited them, others greeted, the children’s workers freed them to focus on the service, the band opened their hearts, God’s Word taught them – and they came to know Jesus. Teamwork. One body with many parts, working together. And it works beautifully here and God is accomplishing great things through us. But I wonder what would happen if EVERY person who calls Twin Oaks home found their part in the body and served with passion, whether that meant stacking chairs, teaching a class, or working in the café? How are you doing with that? Let me ask you this: if everyone in the church had your level of commitment, how healthy would the body at Twin Oaks be? Think about that. Dwell on it for awhile. Let me encourage you to find your place. Find fulfillment. Find a ministry.

 

There is a new ministry beginning February 25th that will help us support and reach out to mothers of pre-schoolers. For this ministry to even take off we need 6 more people to care for the pre-schoolers on the 2nd and 4th Thursday mornings of each month from 8:45 to 11:15AM while the moms have Bible study and fellowship. Are you retired? Working evenings? Not working right now? Have Thursdays off? Have you been looking for a way to serve God at Twin Oaks but don’t know where you fit? If you like pre-schoolers and have Thursday mornings off this could be your place to serve at Twin Oaks and help make our body stronger. Contact Rhonda Dolunt today to volunteer – (313)383-4332 or at rhdolunt@yahoo.com.

THIS SUNDAY we will wrap-up our “WHY>” series with the question “Why Jesus?”How do we know Jesus is the only way and what difference does it make? Why should people follow Him? Come Sunday and find out. And bring a friend.

“Queen of our Heart" Dinner – THIS SATURDAY – 7pm – Ladies, if you haven’t already purchased your ticket (or had one purchased for you) contact the church office today and get your reservation as we turn things around and the men serve a delicious dinner to the women. Contact John Perfetti at 734-671-8300 or johnp4tocc@aol.com to reserve your spot.

Dave Ramsey “Life. Money. Hope” Series at Twin Oaks beginning Sunday, February 21^st. –Dave Ramsey is perhaps the leading Christian financial expert in America today. Maybe you’ve heard him on WMUZ or Fox News or Fox Business. To help churches help people survive and thrive in the current recession Dave video-taped three 30 minute sermons and made them available to churches to share on Sunday mornings. This will be a great series to invite your friends to as Dave uses humor, scripture, and practical lessons to tell us how to break the bondage of debt and experience financial freedom. So plan to attend and invite a friend.

Decisions for Christ – We rejoiced last Sunday as Dan Bologna and Tim Weinschenker confessed their faith in Jesus and were baptized into Christ (Dan was baptized yesterday) Put the faces with their names at http://www.flickr.com/photos/46768627@N07/sets/72157623127133239 and congratulate them next time you see them and keep them in your prayers.

Video from last Sunday - Speaking of using videos in the service, several of you asked how to get the Louie Giglio video that I used in Sunday’s message. You can either go to our new website at www.twinoakschristian.com and play it on the right side of the home page, or you can find the entire message on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVxdRrWjh0g&feature=related. Or if you missed Sunday’s message and want to watch it online just click on the sermon title on the home page and the video will play.

Prayers for Cambodia team – A week from Monday a team of 13 from Twin Oaks will take the love of Christ to the young girls of Rapha House. We could use your prayers. If you want to be part of our prayer support team for Cambodia email me and I will send you a prayer list. I will also add you to our blog so that you can hear about the trip as it is happening.

From Nathan – “Hey Parents -   Couple things coming up to let you know about.

1. We’re going to a thing called WinterJam in March (the 26th) at EMU. Cost is just $15 for the following bands: Third Day, Newsboys, NewSong, Tenth Avenue North, Fireflight, MIKESCHAIR, Robert Pierre, Revive & Guest Speaker Tony Nolan. So you can’t beat that deal. Sign ups will be on the ministries desk in a couple weeks.www.jamtour.com. This group tours the nation every winter and we’re finally jumping on board. It’s for all middle and high school students.

2. Believe Registration will be on said desk this week. Believe is a middle school only event that rocks! It’s hosted at Hope College in Holland MI (awesome facilities) and we spend the weekend (April 23-24) at a hotel, getting our faces rocked off, and seeing some of the best speakers and acts in the country. Best Part: weekend away from the kids! Ok kidding, the real best part is: New Lower Price this year, just $65 ($25 deposit due by March 7, late fees apply after the 7th). So pick up the registration asap, tell your kids to bring some friends, and enjoy a weekend in peace. This is the last big event for middle schoolers till July so make sure they get in on it.www.ciy.com/believe for more info.

Lastly just want to thank all of you who helped out with our Winter Retreat couple of weeks back. It was awesome, we had a great time, and if the damage totals on the building aren’t higher than expected (kidding, sort of, maybe), we should be able to go back next year and keep this as a fun and cheap weekend trip for our students. So thanks!”

Children’s Ministry stuff from Rhonda – We are excited to announce the first Twin Oaks MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meeting!  – Thursday, February 25th from 9am to 11am.  MOPS is for mothers with children from birth to Kindergarten and exists to encourage, equip, and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ. Invite your friends to attend with you!  Childcare is provided along with light refreshments.  We also need 10 volunteers to care for children two Thursday mornings a month.  For more information, please contact Rhonda Dolunt at (313)383-4332 orrhdolunt@yahoo.com.

GEMS Pancake breakfast!  Saturday, Feb 20th from 8:00am to 11:30.  Serving pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and all the toppings!  We’ve moved the GEMS House of Pancakes into the worship center so please bring your friends and family to support the GEMS in their 3rd annual fundraiser. Donations appreciated.

Joke of the week – Serving as a Marine recruiter in western North Carolina, I found a young man who met all the requirements and was ready to enlist. I explained the importance of being truthful on the application, and he began filling out his paper work. But when he got to the question "Do you own any foreign property or have any foreign financial interests?" he looked up at me with a worried expression. "Well," he confessed, "I do own a Toyota."

We enlisted him the next day. (Contributed to Reader’s Digest, "Humor In Uniform," by MSgt. Patrick L. Jacks)

 

Have a great week and I’ll see you (and your guests) Sunday,

Randy